I buy wool sweaters from thrift shops IE. Savers, Salvation Army,etc.. Wash them a few times , you have felt! Cut thin strips from sleeves you got bracelets. Thicker ones.. cup cozie. Love felt , but tried the needle felting and just doesn't work for me. you can do so much with all the differreent parts and you can get lucky sometimes with colors and patterns. I turned part of a sleeve of a white sweater into a HK cup cozie and the bow is from a red sweater. just sew the seams at the edges where it was cut.

AH HA !!!! I have made these, though for a different purpose. We made a load of different coloured ones and hung them from trees as garden art. So, you go into a cheap shop (we have the pound store here in the UK) and you buy their cheap bags of metal bangles. Take each bangle and wrap with whatever colour you fancy - merino felts up the tightest and is the best fibre for bangles which will fray easily when you wear them. - Now because Im lazy and like things done quickly, the way that I did mine was as follows............Take 1 bag metal banglesdifferent coloured merino fleecea couple of pairs of sheer tights1 washing machine ! and preferably a tumble dryer

Wrap up your bangles, you can go fairly thick as merino shrinks hugely then place them one at a time down the leg of the tights, tieing a knot over each individual one. You end up with something that resembles a string of onions.

Pop in your washing machine and put in a few soft items with it (just to avoid damaging the drum of your machine) such as some tea towls, socks etc etc - but not loads, the strings need room to bounce around and agitate the fibres.

Put the washing machine on a really hot wash with some suds.

If you have a tumble dryer all the better - I find this really fixes the wool, but if not just pop on a radiator after the wash - DO NOT CUT OUT THE TIGHTS UNTIL THEY ARE DRY.

The reason you dont cut them out is because when they are still wet, the fibres are still delicate, they will have wrapped themselves around the tights material and you will have to really yank them to set them free. When the fibre is good and dry it is much tougher and will withstand you tugging.

If I get a chance to venture out tomorrow I might go get some bangles and make some with my children and post up a tutorial !

LATEST project - I'm compiling a "handed down" recipes boom and so if I get you in a swap, would you be so kind to find a recipe from your childhood. type it up - if you want to decorate, then please do :